The Hairband
by Flaire Murasawa
Summary: What was up with Soul's change in hairstyle halfway through the series? pre-shounen-ai.


I was looking for Black Star/Soul fanfiction and couldn't find anything new, so I made one. Yes, I'm still waiting for Sasameyuki to edit the second chapter of Turnabout White. Reviews will feed Sasameyuki's muse. This is a one-shot and is unedited, so any tips on how to make this less wordy will be appreciated.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Soul Eater anime or manga. They are owned by Atsushi Okubo and assorted publishing and production companies. No money is being generated by this (but I probably just generated an F on my next exam).

* * *

Since Death City was located in the middle of desert, almost every day was a sunny day. The sun rose bright and early at six AM, accompanied by loudly squawking birds and quickly rising temperatures. It was enough to make anyone roll out of bed and jump in the shower, just to get away from the pain.

Almost anyone, that is, except Soul Eater Evans.

Which was why he was once again running late for school.

"Maka! Have you seen my sweatband?" the albino called as he pulled on his favorite sweater.

"Ah, it's probably still in the laundry," Maka's voice floated from the kitchen.

"Still?!"

"Hey, it'd be done if you actually _helped_ me instead of goofing off all weekend."

His meister sounded irritated, but Soul tuned her out as frantically dug through the hamper.

Not in there.

The dryer.

No.

The washer?

Praying that the load hadn't been started yet, he flipped open the top.

Everything in it was _wet_. Oh no. Maka's bras went flying over his head as he began rummaging through the washer. No no no no no no no…

He emerged, gripping a soaked white band.

No.

"MAKA!" he whined. "I can't go to school like this!"

"Oh, what's the problem now?" The blonde stormed into the room, and immediately turned red at the sight of her undergarments strewn across the floor.

The scythe didn't notice. "My sweatband! I can't see the board without something to hold my hair back—"

"MAKA CHOP!"

Soul's vision exploded in stars.

Maka tucked her hardcover copy of _Gone with the Wind_ back under her arm and shoved a slice of toast into her partner's slack hands. "You can borrow one of mine, now let's GO!" She shoved the reeling boy out the door. "And when we get back you're cleaning that up!"

* * *

"This?" Soul looked incredulously at the object. "You want me to wear this?"

"I didn't exactly have the time to find something appropriately masculine for you," Maka reminded him. "Besides, maybe now you'd help with the laundry from now on." With that, she abruptly turned and briskly made for class.

"Hey. Hey, wait up!"

The white-haired boy turned his attention back to the chic black hairband his meister had bestowed him with. Ugh, there was no way—

The second bell rang.

Soul shoved on the hairband as he ran through the doors.

No one noticed at first. He managed to make it into the classroom just one step ahead of the teacher, took his normal seat next to Maka, and set up his book. For a good half hour the room was filled with nothing but the sensei's voice and the dutiful scratching of pencils. Then Soul heard it—a giggle.

Hm, wonder where that came from.

He was about to turn back to his paper when he heard it again: a girlish, stifled giggle. Turning around, the albino locked eyes with Kim, who was sitting two rows above him. Cheeks pink, she smiled shyly and gave a little wave.

Clueless, Soul waved back.

Kim squeaked and turned to whisper something to Jaqueline, who added a small cough of her own.

'Heeeey, the chicks dig me today.' Kim was pretty cute, after all. The scythe turned back to his notes, feeling quite confident. 'I wonder what they're talking about up there. My rugged good looks? My astounding strength? Wonderful listening skills?' He was in the middle of figuring out just how to react when Kim confessed to him, when another giggle caught his attention. A decidedly more masculine giggle.

He glared at Ox, who was sitting further along the row. The spear meister caught him looking and snickered again.

Soul growled. Then Ox nudged Harvar and pointed, and even the normally stoic Harvar smirked before refocusing on the board.

It took a second for Soul to figure out what he was pointing at.

No. It was probably just Ox. That guy was an idiot. He thought those dopey horns of his were cool, for crying out loud. No one else thought the same way as Ox, right? Right?

* * *

"Hey, Soul, you trying to tell us something?"

"Soul looks like a giiiiiiiiiirrrrl!"

"Finally coming out of the closet, Evans?"

"I like it," said Death the Kid. "This is a much more symmetrical hairstyle."

"No one asked you!" Soul pushed roughly past the Shinigami.

"Look, it's the Pretty Pretty Princess."

"Let's exchange hair styling tips next time," a miniskirt-clad girl said in passing, and Soul grinned.

"Aww, you hear that? Soul's one of the girls now!"

The grin shifted into a glower.

By the end of third period, it felt every student in Shibusen had insulted him and were coming back for seconds.

"Argh, I can't stand this thing!" he cried, furiously yanking out the offending piece of black plastic.

"Then don't wear it," Black Star suggested in a rare moment of genius.

"I can't," Soul grumbled. "I tried it. I can't hold my hair up and write at the same time. I think I'll just ditch the rest of the day and spare myself the humiliation."

"It's not that bad," the ninja supplied.

A red eye glanced sideways at him. "Oh, really?" The scythe prepared to launch into a recital of everything he'd been called that day.

"Yeah, it's actually kind of cute."

That halted the rant right at the tip of his tongue. Soul swore he stopped breathing for a second—it might have been post-trauma from the Maka Chop (tm).

"You-you're joking, right?" The scythe mentally cursed himself. That came out sounding hopeful.

Black Star frowned. "No, that's what all the girls are saying. No one can hide their secrets from the ultra-godly stealth skills of the mighty Black Star!"

"So you were eavesdropping outside the girl's bathroom again?"

"It's a good way to get information!" the blunette protested. "Girls at Shibusen are like an elite network of spies. But really," he ignored the expression on his friend's face. "It looks good."

Black Star plucked the ebony crescent from Soul's hands, and, sliding it behind the other boy's ears, used the hairband to push back the white bangs. He gave him a thumbs-up. "There, the girls will be flocking around you in no time. Just don't forget to save some for me! Now come on, I heard we're watching a movie in class today. I hope it has a lot of blood. There's nothing like a hero who really knows how to kick butt. But there isn't a good guy who can stand up to me, for I am the ultimate hero Black Star…"

The ninja was already going in the classroom, but Soul stood where he was, fingers brushing the plastic accessory now once again perched on his head.

'It's actually kind of cute.'

'It looks good.'

Soul blushed, and lowered his hand. Maybe he'd keep it after all.

* * *

A/N: I used _Gone with the Wind_ because it has over 1000 pages, and is therefore heavier than any of the _Harry Potter_s. Please review. Even something like, "I read this story," will do.


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